Mr Thomas said: "The complainant was arguing with him, and he produced a sheath containing a knife and struck her with it, a single blow which knocked her over."

The police arrived to find the victim bleeding heavily from a 5-inch gash to her head which needed stitches. X-rays showed she had an open skull fracture and a broken eye socket.

Brann, 44, was jailed for 18 months.

Mr Thomas said the victim had not co-operated with providing a follow-up personal impact statement, so there was no update on her recovery nor how the incident had affected her.

In a police interview, Brann accepted being in an altercation and said he struck the neighbour with a camping-type knife, which remained inside its' sheath throughout. He claimed he acted in self-defence.

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"He was backed into a corner and produced the weapon from behind his back and struck out with it, a single blow, not intending to cause the injuries that resulted," said the barrister.

Brann had been bailed to an address in Bradgate Drive, Coalville, after the incident with his neighbour. He admitted breaching a bail condition by going to Leicester - and was arrested in the city centre the day before he was sentenced.